Nursing/Weaning through Upcoming Surgery

About a week after my nursling turns two, and about 3 weeks from today, I will be having a serious jaw surgery. I'm quite worried about how this will effect bfing. Now, I had been planning to wean slowly after his second birthday, but I didn't want to do it cold turkey like this surgery might require. I would have started weaning him sooner, but a death in my family distracted me from that. I need a plan for how to deal with the weaning, surgery, etc. Not just hpw to wean, but also how to help my very attached tot deal with me being out of commission for a few days and how painkillers will come into play.

Re: Nursing/Weaning through Upcoming Surgery

any reason why you feel you must wean? lots of moms here have undergone major surgeries with and without hospitalization/pain medications and continued to nurse, we can help you understand the specifics of your situation and plan accordingly if you are interested?

I personally had a myomectomy to remove a huge fibroid tumor. I was hospitalized for 4 days and I must say the worst was not being able t sleep beside my boy. I did have my mom stay with me while my DH stayed home with my son, they took turns bringing him up to visit me and nurse throughout the day and I pumped whenever he was getting a bottle (the late night was hard on us both) I was on some heavy pain medication but I weighed all the options and with an older nursling it was less of a concern for me. my son was 11 months old.

Re: Weaning in Conjunction w/ Mama's Surgery

I don't have advice on dealing with weaning(not there yet, myself!). But, you should know about the infantrisk hotline. They can give you specific medical advice on anesthesia, painkillers, and breastfeeding. They are the experts on this stuff, and will probably be much less conservative than your surgeon and anesthsiologist (who will probably err on the side of telling you to pump and dump, since this isn't their area of expertise). Also, the risks are very different with a 2 year old than with an infant. They weigh more and nurse less. Infantrisk will take all of that into account.

Re: Weaning in Conjunction w/ Mama's Surgery

Will you have others to help you take care of your little one? Breastfeeding aside, it might be helpful to have at least one other person to entertain your son so you can rest & heal. If he is entertained out of the house- say at the zoo or some special outing with grandma or someone else important in his life, he may forget to worry about the separation from mom for awhile. If physically feasible (depending on any bandages/stitches, wires, etc & how active your child is), it might be nice for both of you to nap together so you can get those snuggles in & keep connected while still allowing you to rest. Just like with birth, have things ready for you like meals pre-prepared, especially if you will have diet modifications due to your jaw.

As for breastfeeding, I second TimsMom's suggestion to contact infantrisk. The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding has some suggestions too for abrupt weaning. You may want to consume foods/herbs that decrease your milk supply in order to help you wean comfortably. Kellymom.com has a good list of foods that can decrease milk supply at http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastf...bs-oversupply/. Wearing clothes that make your breasts inaccessible might help (like dresses that zip up the back)too. Your son may need extra attention, snuggles, focused playtime, etc to help him cope with the process.

Be gentle with yourself & your son at this time. Weaning can be an emotional time both mothers and children, especially when associated with an abrupt/medical reason. Allow each other to feel the emotions involved, acknowledge them.

Re: Nursing/Weaning through Upcoming Surgery

I'm not in a rush to wean, but I do want to start. Night nursing is starting to become an issue. As a Marine, I spend at least one 33 hour period away from home every month and sometimes travel. Our son used to sleep straight through the night like a champ if I wasn't home, but for the last few months, he's been having a hard time on nights I'm gone and DH barely gets any sleep then. I think he's also frustrated with not being able to comfort our son the same way I can after all this time - a different experience than with his first child, who he raised alone until she was 4.

As for surgery specifics: I'm having my top and maybe bottom jaws broken and rearranged under general anesthesia. I am told the week after is unbelievably painful and am worried I will only be able to have very limited contact with my kids. I will also be on a very limited liquid diet for at least two weeks and have been told to expect to lose about 15lbs (which I really can't afford to lose). I think I will be perscribed vicodin for 2 - 3 weeks after.